John Joyce
Encyclopedia
John Stanislaus Joyce (4 July 1849 – 29 December 1931) was the father of writer James Joyce
, and a well known Dublin man about town. The son of James and Ellen (née O'Connell) Joyce, John Joyce grew up in Cork
, where his mother's family, which claimed kinship to "Liberator" Daniel O'Connell
, was quite prominent.
Following his father's death in 1866, John Joyce inherited substantial property around Cork, but soon after he moved to Dublin, where he worked for several years as secretary at a distillery company. He was also noted as a fine tenor singer, although he never pursued a musical career. On 5 May 1879, Joyce married Mary "May" Murray. The next year, because of his work supporting Liberal
candidates in the General Election
of 1880
, Joyce was given a post in the Dublin Custom House.
In 1882, his son James
was born, the first of ten surviving children. Over the next ten years, Joyce gradually ran through his property. A supporter of Parnell
, Joyce was crushed by what he saw as Parnell's betrayal and death following the revelation of his adultery with Kitty O'Shea. By the time of Parnell's death in 1891, Joyce had spent most of his inheritance and had been pensioned from his post at the custom house. A spendthrift, he proved barely able to live on the small pension that was left to him, and spent much of his time drinking. His wife died in 1903, but despite his poor management of the household, he managed to outlive her by 28 years. He died at the age of 82, which was rather advanced given the circumstances.
Of all his children, Joyce got along well only with his eldest, James, who enjoyed his father's company and shared in some of his traits, including his musical talent and his inability with money. John Joyce inspired several characters in his son's works, such as Simon Dedalus
in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
and Ulysses
, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker in Finnegans Wake
, and the narrator's uncle in the stories "The Sisters" and "Araby" in Dubliners
.
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, and a well known Dublin man about town. The son of James and Ellen (née O'Connell) Joyce, John Joyce grew up in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, where his mother's family, which claimed kinship to "Liberator" Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
, was quite prominent.
Following his father's death in 1866, John Joyce inherited substantial property around Cork, but soon after he moved to Dublin, where he worked for several years as secretary at a distillery company. He was also noted as a fine tenor singer, although he never pursued a musical career. On 5 May 1879, Joyce married Mary "May" Murray. The next year, because of his work supporting Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidates in the General Election
United Kingdom general elections
This is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, before being co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom, so that Parliament...
of 1880
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, Joyce was given a post in the Dublin Custom House.
In 1882, his son James
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
was born, the first of ten surviving children. Over the next ten years, Joyce gradually ran through his property. A supporter of Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
, Joyce was crushed by what he saw as Parnell's betrayal and death following the revelation of his adultery with Kitty O'Shea. By the time of Parnell's death in 1891, Joyce had spent most of his inheritance and had been pensioned from his post at the custom house. A spendthrift, he proved barely able to live on the small pension that was left to him, and spent much of his time drinking. His wife died in 1903, but despite his poor management of the household, he managed to outlive her by 28 years. He died at the age of 82, which was rather advanced given the circumstances.
Of all his children, Joyce got along well only with his eldest, James, who enjoyed his father's company and shared in some of his traits, including his musical talent and his inability with money. John Joyce inspired several characters in his son's works, such as Simon Dedalus
Simon Dedalus
Simon Dedalus is a fictional character in two works by James Joyce - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses. He is the father of Stephen Dedalus, a principal character in both books, and a friend of Leopold Bloom, the hero of Ulysses...
in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce, first serialised in the magazine The Egoist from 1914 to 1915, and published first in book format in 1916 by B. W. Huebsch, New York. The first English edition was published by the Egoist Press in February 1917...
and Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker in Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
, and the narrator's uncle in the stories "The Sisters" and "Araby" in Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
.